Princess
by Myske
Summary: Siris Fern wakes up after a 10,000 year slumber and is thrown into a mission to rescue Blaise Harman. Teamed up with a witch of dubious character, will she manage to get out alive, or will she fall into the clutches of a far more sinister plot?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: As always, not mine, don't sue ;)_

_PRINCESS_

THE BIG SLEEP

"Sleep, child," Hellewise's soft maternal voice drifted in and out of Siris' mind and ears. The soft chanting and the candlelight in the background, she had blocked out a while ago. Any other time and it may have been soothing to her – but tonight all she could feel was guilt and terror.

Siris Fern was the youngest of Red Fern's grandchildren. She did not have the gentlest disposition; she was a fighter, but lately, she had found that she was unable to fight all battles. The decision to fight was an easy one to make; it was obvious to her that survival itself was determined by the will to fight. What was more difficult was to choose a side. That was how she found herself lying prone on a hard and cold slab of stone, deep in a cave, and at the mercy of the Witch clan.

Her eyes fluttered open and met the steady and warm gaze of Hellewise Hearth-Woman, the leader of the clan. Hellewise laid a soft hand on Siris' cheek and leaned in close, kissing both her eyes shut. The soft chanting continued in the background, and Siris felt her thought processes slowing down.

"Sleep, child," Hellewise sounded far away. "It will be like a dream to you, nothing more. When you awaken, the world will be a changed place, and you will find your place within it. May our love, and that of Hecate, Witch Queen, follow you always." Siris' mind continued to slow, but she was never sure whether it ever completely stopped.

Siris lay in her tomb – for how long, she could not tell. Her body was unresponsive to her, and she found that she lacked the will to push herself into complete consciousness anyway. She could not tell whether it was hot or cold in her resting place, but she knew that those hot tears that had gathered in her hairline had dried long ago – although, exactly when, she could not tell either.

There was a growing thrum in her mind and in her ears. Siris concentrated on the feeling – she finally felt like she had the strength to open her eyes and move her limbs – and yet, she made no attempt. Her mind sped up again, and almost in an instant she was aware of her surroundings. More than that – she was aware of people, and her own thirst. A firm hand held hers and she clamped down on it like a vice, she could feel her canines lengthening and parting her lips.

Siris felt a hand brush her cheek, she was tempted beyond measure to turn and draw blood to sate her thirst, but she found it impossible. The hand stayed, and there was never a point in Siris' seventeen years of living, where she desired a meal as much as that very moment.

"Awaken, child," Siris was stunned. For a moment, she even forgot her desperate desire to feed. Her eyes fluttered open, and she gasped in shock at what she beheld.

"Hellewise," she choked on the words that were to follow. The features that she beheld were the same, if not a little bit older. Not much time must have passed; feelings of guilt and terror, which she felt before her sleep, came rushing back to her in an instant. The elderly woman smiled and shook her head.

"Only from a long line of daughters," the old woman said as she indicated to another person. Siris looked out of the corners of her eyes. The thrumming in her ears was soft chanting, which once the elderly woman had indicated, had stopped. A girl, who must have only been slightly older than herself, was seated on the stone slab, opposite to the old woman. Beyond them, a boy was leading in a goat – Siris was relieved.

The boy led the docile creature towards her and she noticed that a small patch had been shaved on its neck. She felt self-conscious because of the many pairs of eyes that were watching her, but she fed rapturously anyway. _Thank you_, she said in the mind of the three closest to her. When Hellewise had put her to sleep, she had not considered what she would do when she awoke, and she was glad that these people had prepared a meal for her. As she drank from the docile creature, Siris imagined what it would have been like to awaken and live with the agony of hunger, possibly for days before she could have been able to satisfy her appetite.

Before long, she felt a hand on her shoulder, the girl's, gently pulling her away from the animal.

"Please stop, there is no need for you to kill her, there is another." The girl's soft voice cut through her thoughts. She licked the blood from the neck of the goat and saw the wounds close over. The same boy led it away and another boy presented another goat to her, which she again, feasted on feverishly. Several more goats were brought in for her to drink from – each time the gentle pull from the girl stopped her taking more from each creature. At length, she felt sated enough to stop. She looked at the old lady.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Long enough to keep you protected from hardship and suffering, child. However, a time of darkness is fast approaching, and if you do not wake now – you may never have the chance."

"How long?"

"You slept through the fall of the Age of the Witches, the Age of the Vampire, and now we are approaching what could be, the end of the Age of the Human. More than twenty thousand years. Child, who are you?" the old woman who looked like Hellewise was perplexed. Siris knew that the woman knew enough to know what time she was from, but that was where her information ended.

"Siris. Siris Fern." The woman blinked, next to her, she could hear a gasp come from the girl.

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_A/N: Like it, loathe it? Let me know._

_To find out what story Siris has to tell, please review ;)_

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	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: This chapter is a little dialogue heavy, so I have to apologise for that first. Other than that, please enjoy._

_Disclaimer: All characters that are recognised obviously do not belong to me, Siris Fern and Mallory Feorne are obviously my own lame creations._

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_PRINCESS_

THE AWAKENING

The eyes of the witches were wide and for a fleeting moment, Siris wondered if being a direct descendant of Maya and Red Fern was enough to end her. She hoped that they would at least allow her to express her turmoil before they pierced her heart. Siris was suddenly sad, her eyes, which were usually ablaze, were downcast. The truth was that she didn't want to die. She didn't fear it – that would never be the case. The problem was that she felt a renewed sense of purpose, for it to be cut short so suddenly made her feel cheated.

A tear slid off her cheek, its splash as it hit the stone slab, was the only sound in the room. It reverberated and echoed through the chamber, her tomb, and it felt overly loud. More soon followed, but she did not make a noise. Cowardice seemed to be her suit nowadays. The old woman's hand came into her line of vision; Siris did not resist her, she expected to be pushed back into a lying position – that would make the staking easier. She was surprised when instead of pushing her down; the old woman gently brushed the tears away with her thumb. Their eyes met, Siris' were startled and the old woman's were soft and welcoming.

"Unity. I am Edgith Harman, the Crone of the Witches, and a direct descendent of your great-great-aunt, Hellewise Hearth-Woman. Siris Fern," she sighed. "We thought that you had been lost." Grandma Harman's eyes shone with tears, and Siris felt relief flood through her.

Although she was brimming with questions, Siris contained herself and was contented to be led out of her cave. They didn't have to walk long before she was ushered into a dark, shiny creature. Grandma Harman laughed gently at her confusion; she called it a limousine, and promised that she would explain later.

In the limousine, Siris sat very still between Grandma Harman and Aradia. The Maiden of the witches held her hand, and Siris felt calmed by her gesture. As the limo was driving them back to civilisation, Siris listened half heartedly to the information that Grandma Harman was relaying to her. The only thing she could think about, as she stared out the window, was the dramatic changes that had overtaken the landscape. What was, in her time, dense forest, was now a barren desert, full of glittering dunes – she felt somewhat exhilarated.

"Why did you sleep?" Aradia's soft voice cut through the haziness of Siris' thoughts. Her violet eyes snapped back into focus; she looked at the Maiden searchingly. Her vacant eyes, which were filled with an unbridled energy, unnerved Siris and she though of looking away. She couldn't; the Maiden held her gaze with her own unseeing eyes and willed her to answer – Siris could not deny her.

"There was fighting," she began. Grandma Harman patted her knee, encouragingly. "I could not fight. I was conflicted, I was … afraid." Siris said the words and she felt thoroughly ashamed of herself.

In her own time, Hellewise had shed tears for the life of every young person lost to the battle within their clan. She wondered, now that she had uttered her piece, whether the wizened Crone and the youthful Maiden would sympathise, or whether they would condemn her for her weakness.

"There is no shame in not willing to harm your kin," Grandma Harman said softly. "But, I told you earlier of a time of darkness which is fast approaching," Grandma Harman waited for Siris to give her assent, that she did remember her mention the idea. "On the fall of this millennium, a great battle will be waged. You have kin on both sides, but I cannot put you back to sleep, you must choose a side."

"Edgith, Crone of the Witches, Aradia, Maiden of the Witches, daughters of Hellewise, I will fight for you." Siris wondered if she were making the right choice. The three women each had their own way of dealing with the pregnant silence that followed Siris' declaration. The stark beauty of the Nevadan desert rushed by them, and at length they approached the gauzy lights of Las Vegas. Siris was astounded by the images and the colour, but she didn't say anything to her hosts.

Finally they reached a palatial building, gates opened and the limousine drove slowly up the long driveway. Siris was perplexed, so much had changed since she had been asleep and she was afraid that she would be unable to comprehend the vastness of it all. The engine of the limo stopped suddenly and the three women were handed out of the vehicle, Siris stood and absorbed her surroundings as best she could.

"It's not safe to stand about outside all day. We'd best get inside," Grandma Harman and her assistant each took one of Siris' elbows and led her to the door, it was opened by a face that Siris recognised through the many stories of his fate that Maya had told.

"You –" she took a step back instinctively, afraid that he might scorn her, just as he had spurned Maya's advances and her gift. But he never did, he just gave her a searching look and stepped out of the entrance to allow the women and Grandma Harman's assistant inside.

Once they were inside, and seated comfortably, more people came in to greet them, but before they could offer introductions to the Siris, Thierry interrupted.

"As is often the case, you know of me, but I do not know of you. I go by Thierry, nowadays," he offered her a hand of encouragement. With all the confidence she could muster, Siris began.

"I am Siris Fern, grand daughter of Red Fern, and great-grand daughter of Maya, the mother of our race. You, Thierry, are her obsession. You were lost to our people and she meant to find you." Siris' brows knitted together and she wondered if Maya had found him, and whether she was here.

"While you were asleep, little one, she found me – and she kept finding me, but that is over now. She is no more."

"Did you kill her?"

"No, I did not. I'll not harm you either, if that is what you are afraid of."

"I can take care of myself," Thierry laughed gently – their interview was over.

"Let me welcome you to Circle Daybreak. This is Hannah, my soulmate, that's Thea and Eric, that's Ash, and this is Mallory," Siris looked at each of them. There was something strange about them that was dancing at the edge of her mind.

"Humans?" Siris looked at Hannah and Eric; both of them nodded. Times had indeed changed very much, if Maya's children were opening accepting humans as equals into their domains. She knew that Hellewise had often allowed humans into her clan and her gatherings, but Maya – well, she had always made it clear that humans were only for eating. Perhaps that was what caused the fighting all those years ago.

"The humans are on top now, they just don't know it. But that could be about to change." It was the new guy, Mallory.

"And do you want that change? What's going to happen to our people?"

"We are fighting to stop that change; it could mean the death of us all if it comes to pass," Thierry looked quite serious and Siris was worried, he hadn't told her what had become of her people. What if she were the last of her kind? "Nothing happens to our people – it's called the Night World now. Everyone is underground, but safe, most of the humans don't even realise we exist. It's better this way." Siris nodded minutely. She was relieved, and she remembered Ash. She laughed inwardly at herself; Ash could have been a good partner.

"We need your help," Thierry shot a look at the speaker, Mallory. "I'm sorry, Thierry, but she's here now and I've got to ask it, if you won't."

"You could have given her time to adjust before you asked."

"My friends don't have time!"

"What's going on," Siris asked slowly.

"The witches have split, Circle Twilight has joined with Circle Daybreak and most had joined it, but there were a few of us, from Circle Midnight. We didn't agree, we wanted to remain part of the Night World, we thought that when the time of darkness came upon the world, we would be free to do as we chose. We didn't realise, we – some of us – were foolish. It was all a game to us, but then the killings began, the sacrifices, what was once dark magic, became … true darkness, evil." The boy was lost in his own reverie, but everyone in the room was wrapt. "We – a group of us – spoke out. We wanted the power, I guess, but weren't able to deal with the consequences of that desire. We wanted to leave, and we were stopped. I escaped, but there are three others, they're being held by Circle Midnight –" Grandma Harman cut in.

"Who, Mallory?"

"Fallow Dai, Cynthia Stome, and Blaise –"

"Blaise!" Grandma Harman and Thea burst out together.

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_Find out what Circle Midnight has planned for the three girls; and what will Circle Daybreak do to rescue them from their fate?_

_A/N: Please let me know what you think, review ^_^_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: All characters that are recognised obviously do not belong to me, Siris Fern and Mallory Feorne are obviously my own lame creations._

_PRINCESS_

THE MISSION

Silent tears streamed down Thea and Grandma Harman's faces. Siris was momentarily confused; she knew that these three captured witches were in obvious danger, but that one should stand out meant trouble.

"Who's Blaise?"

All eyes were on Siris, and she felt momentarily stupid. She had not meant for it to come out quite that way, but she was not about to rephrase herself.

"She is a Harman, my Granddaughter; and very powerful too. I was afraid that we had lost her."

"We've been out of contact for a few days now –" Thea choked and wiped her tears away, but the agony of emotions that flooded through her small frame were obvious to everyone.

"A true daughter of Hellewise; we have to rescue her right away."

"That's the response I was hoping for." Mallory interjected.

"It would be immensely foolish to go after them half-cocked. They are well warded and guarded," that was the boy, Ash. Siris looked at him and noticed a look of sadness in his eyes. Something was missing from his life, and Siris thought fleetingly that she could perhaps fill that void.

"That's why we have a plan," all eyes in the room focused on Thierry and he smiled. "Well, it's not specific to this situation, but we did plan for this sort of rescue operation." He waved toward the entrance to the room and a female guard detached from the wall and left the room. Everyone else was busy trying to imagine what type of plan the more militant Daybreakers had planned in their spare time. "All we need are a few extra details about the specific compound, and some updated intel about who's running your chapter of Circle Midnight."

"They're still here, in Las Vegas, we never left. We just opened shop in two converted warehouses on the edge of town. I imagine that any information that you have regarding our current leader is outdated," a few eyebrows raised at Mallory's suggestion. "We've just had a change of management; you may have heard of Scarlett Gant." There were a few gasps of surprise around the room.

"If Scarlett is in control, how is it that you escaped?" Thea didn't say it in a harsh way, but nevertheless, a few eyes narrowed, including Siris'.

"The girls and I, we were close. When Blaise raised issue about the sacrifices, we stood by her, but so did many others. When we realised that the opinion of a direct descendent of a Daughter of Hellewise was going to be ignored, we decided that it was time to leave. We decided to leave by different means, so that at least one of us might have a chance to get away. The three of them were caught by the time it was my turn to go. I saw them before I left; knowing that they were caught frightened me, I was resolved to stay. But Blaise wouldn't allow it, she wished me luck and I barely made it out. That was three nights ago; I've been hiding until I found this place today."

Thierry nodded in assent; the rest of them looked frightened.

"Who's Scarlett Gant?"

"She is a powerful young woman who has strayed far off the path. Even when Circle Midnight was still a part of the Witch community she was well known for her ruthlessness. Nearly ten years ago she lost her soulmate; her obsession to bring him back among the living maddened her. If Circle Midnight follows her for much longer they will lose the blessings of the Mother." Grandma Harman sighed. She sounded deflated, Siris felt that she had more to say, so instead of dwelling on what she had just been told she looked that the elderly witch intently.

_There is more that you are not telling us._ The witch's eyes saddened even more.

"When the witches left the Nightworld Council, Blaise wanted to come too –" Thea's eyes snapped up and fresh tears were welling in them, a silent 'no' parted her lips. "I refused her, I needed a spy, I thought she would be safe; she hadn't reported to me for a couple of weeks, I thought there was nothing worth saying. I'm sorry, Thea."

Hannah held one of Thea's hands and dabbed her face gently with a tissue. Thea's souldmate, Eric, held her around the shoulders and she leaned closer to him. Siris wondered how it felt to be so ensconced by the presence of a soulmate. Still, she held out hopes that Ash might be suitable, he certainly looked the part. His sad violet eyes reminded her of Hellewise Hearh-Woman and she drew some comfort from them; he noticed her looking at him and smiled politely back at her.

Thierry's guard chose that moment to return to the room, she brought with her, several dossiers, which, by Thierry's instructions she passed around the room.

"Thanks, Lupe. Everyone, this is Lupe. My best and most trusted advisor."

Siris looked down at hers with wonder. She flipped through the unfamiliar language and willed herself to make meaning of it. It was nothing like the pictographic etchings that her people had made. Grandma Harman patted her gently on the hand and smiled reassuringly at her.

The small group went over the plan and factored in Mallory's information. Siris tried to make sense of all the instructions and ideas that were being passed around. But what was common place to all the others baffled her and she tried her utmost to learn and absorb as much as she could. She felt a great sense of urgency build within her. If she was to help save this daughter of Hellewise then she needed to be up to date with the time that she was in.

After what seemed like hours of discussion, broken up with intermittent arrivals of refreshment their meeting was over. Siris could have cried with relief, never in her life had she felt so out of her depth. Grandma Harman announced that she would be taking Siris and Mallory to a safe house arranged by Circle Daybreak. One of Thierry's guards led them into another sitting room, where they waited for Grandma Harman to take them away.

Siris sat down first, not really caring what Mallory thought of her action. She kept her eyes on him, but was nonetheless surprised when he took a seat right next her. She peered into his dark grey eyes and found something eerie there; her own silver blue eyes narrowed.

"I don't trust you."

"You don't have to; just help me get Blaise and the girls free."

"How do I know that this isn't a trap for Circle Daybreak?"

"If it were a trap for Circle Daybreak, wouldn't I want one of them on this mission?" Siris glared at Mallory.

"Maybe you should; I don't think I could cooperate with someone I couldn't trust implicitly."

"Perhaps it would be easier to save Blaise with the help of one of the others. But you're the unknown element in this plan. The one who adds to the chances of our success, so you're coming, whether I want you to or not; which, by the way, I don't."

"I could end you; I could tell them that I was overtaken by momentary bloodlust. Not my fault, I just woke up today, you know." Siris leaned slightly closer to Mallory, who had the sense to back up a little bit. She could feel her canines sharpening and she could imagine her silvery blue eyes swirling into liquid silver; Mallory was entranced, but he kept moving further away from her.

In her mind, Siris knew that she did not intend to harm Mallory; she just wanted to frighten him into a possible admission of some sort. It seemed to be working, his lips parted and she continued to move even closer. She could feel the short pants of breath that he was taking on her cheek and she could see a vein throbbing in his neck, Siris smiled to herself, a little more and she would be certain of the truth of his allegiances.

Siris' lips brushed against Mallory's neck and all of a sudden they were falling. Their disembodied minds rushed towards each other and Mallory ran. Siris could feel his terror at her intrusion, but she pursued him. She felt exhilarated; to draw the blood from a mortal was much more intoxicating than what her feast with the goats was. For one, the psychic connection was much more intense, there was nothing of the fuzzy longing for grass and pastures that was present when she shared her mind with the goats. Secondly, Mallory was running, and Siris felt that there was only one explanation; he knew that she would find him guilty.

Mallory threw up as many mental defences as he could, but Siris was fast, and she had experienced many reluctant witch minds before. She got past all his obstacles and she caught him; her mind closed around his and she could feel him struggle. He threw images at her; images of Blaise and the other girls, angrily telling him to leave; images of him hiding out and sneaking across Las Vegas to see Thierry. She felt a tug in her own mind, she felt his sorrow, and she felt herself show him her own memory; she was leaving her people behind, she was seeking Hellewise, and finally, she was going to sleep. She felt more tugging through their connection, but she reminded herself that her purpose was to interrogate him, not share her memories.

More of Mallory's memories were coming to the fore, and she could feel his shock radiating from their connection.

_Are you going to betray us?_ She put it forcefully to him, and she fought the intense tugging. It was her first mortal meal in thousands of years, and she reasoned that that was the reason for the intensity of the connection. _Are you going to betray us?_ She bellowed it in his mind, and yet he would not answer her, he just kept putting memories before her. _Are you going to betray –_

Before she could finish the thought, felt arms gripping her and pulling her away from Mallory, she was bemused, and a little bit angry, she almost had the truth from him.

"What is going on?!" Grandma Harman growled. It was frightening when it came out of her. Siris tried to look as innocent as she could, Mallory was on the floor. She wondered if they had fallen; she had never fallen with her quarry before. Grandma Harman looked closely at Siris and knelt to inspect Mallory's neck.

"There's no blood." Aradia, the Maiden, spoke. Everyone looked her, but she was serene, her expression never changed, and Siris thought that it made her look celestial. Grandma Harman was satisfied with her inspection, and Siris was glad that the evidence of her biting Mallory had healed over; she let herself be led outside to the waiting limo.

As they drove off, Grandma Harman looked over to Siris; she was not pleased and she was obviously not satisfied with her findings. Aradia was turned toward the window and a soft smile curved her lips. Mallory was looking at her in a mixture of confusion and anger; she shot him a glare and he looked away. She would make sure that they had no interruptions next time.

_Will Siris find Mallory to be a spy at their next meeting? How will they return into the Circle Midnight fold?_

_A/N: What did you think? Please review. ^_^_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: All characters that are recognised obviously do not belong to me, Siris Fern and Mallory Feorne are obviously my own lame creations._

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PRINCESS

THE SAFE HOUSE

The limousine continued driving for what seemed to be hours. The silence went on and Siris could not help but notice that Mallory's neck was smooth. Not smooth in a way that made her hungry, but rather, smooth as if she hadn't taken blood from him at all. Siris was perplexed; she was sure that she had bitten him but where there should have been two faint red marks there was unblemished skin. Her thoughts and her confusion turned over and over again in her mind until the limousine finally stopped. It was dark outside, Siris was sure.

Grandma Harman and the Maiden, Aradia, unfastened their seatbelts. Mallory and Siris followed suit. No sooner had the 'clack' of their seatbelts sounded, when the door opened swiftly. Grandma Harman and Aradia were led out in one fluid motion. Moments later a head covered in velvety dark hair poked through the door.

"Out you come, it's clear." Mallory and Siris scrambled out as gracefully as they could manage. Once the four of them were assembled in the garage between their bodyguards, they headed up into the safe house. They moved slowly through the dark toward the bright light on the far side of the garage. When they entered the house, they were greeted by a bubbly copper haired witch, before being led into a sitting room.

"Are you hungry?"

"Famished."

Grandma Harman signalled at one of her attendants, who quickly scurried off. Within moments they were all ushered into another room. Aradia took Siris' arm and they followed another attendant into yet another room. Once inside Aradia sat down on a chaise and at the sight of the goat that entered from another door, Siris could feel her teeth lengthen into fine points.

"Leave us, we will be fine. I will call you when we are done," Aradia said. Siris was startled; she didn't expect the young woman to stay while she fed. The attendant looked uncertain, but a stern glance from the Maiden saw him leave without further delay. "Don't mind me; you can feed when you're ready."

Siris moved toward the goat, all the while calming it with her mind. She knelt down by it and gently pierced its throat with her canines. She felt its blood invigorating her body and she could feel the tension slipping from her muscles. She wanted to dance and sprint up a mountain side all at once. She stopped when she felt the goat's mind weakening. She wiped off the last remaining drops of blood from the creature's neck and willed it to sit down on the floor; it did so without resistance.

"Is there something that you would ask of me, Maiden?"

"Aradia. And yes," Siris waited for a response. The soft curve of a smile lingered on Aradia's lips, but there was trouble in her eyes. Siris was concerned; although she had not long been awake she felt implicit trust towards the girl. "There will come a point where you will have to choose –"

"I have already chosen."

"You will have to choose those that are worth saving," _Oh,_ Siris had not expected that; "I know your heart, Siris Fern, and I do not doubt your choice, although, at the time, you may." Siris looked into Aradia's unseeing eyes, "Trust your heart and do not give up; that is all I ask of you." Siris nodded, it was all that she could do.

"Yes, Aradia," Siris managed to croak out her assent after a pause. The Maiden's smile returned to her lips.

"Come, now," she hooked her arm through the crook of Siris' and led her back through the door of the room.

Outside, the attendant started, but before he could regain his composure, Aradia sent him to retrieve the goat. He nodded and was out of their sight.

"Let me show you around, Siris."

"Maiden, how is it that you can do that?" a soft laugh came out of Aradia, and at her side, Siris could feel the Maiden trembling with mirth.

"You would think that, even when blind, one should know well the place in which they had lived. Would you not?" Siris nodded and the Maiden's unseeing eyes seemed to take it all in.

Siris' mind was in turmoil as she was being led from room to room by the blind girl. She could remember others in the witch tribe who had been struck by blindness, yet none of them had the status, or even the poise or the grace of this girl before her. In her time, those who had lost their vision often wandered off, and were never heard from again. In fact, many had offered themselves to the blood drinkers, in an attempt to make one last contribution. Had they all been so wrong in supposing that the loss of sight carried with it the inability to contribute? The tour ended as Aradia guided Siris into her new room and sat down on the soft bed with her.

Siris looked around her, all the things that were so unfamiliar to her. She was terrified. She felt threatened and she wanted to fight them, even when their purpose was unknown to her, but she looked at Aradia and let her serene features guide her.

"I'm finding it difficult to comprehend –"

"It's quite alright. You will get used to it, and there are others to help you. Mallory is here too." Siris' eyes narrowed at the mention of his name.

"I don't trust him."

"I know."

"What are we doing here anyway; shouldn't we be rescuing the daughter of Hellewise and her friends?"

"We're at a safe house, Siris, and we will rescue her in time. At this point in time, we need to get you up to speed." The girls talked for a long while and eventually the Maiden put Siris to sleep.

They were made to wait in the safe house for a few more days before finally, one morning, Siris opened her door to reveal one of Aradia's attendants.

"It's time." Siris followed him out into the sitting room, where Mallory was already waiting. She was still suspicious of him and she begrudged him for the smug expression that he wore.

Siris' eyes darted around the room; she was excited.

"Scarlett has eyes all over the city; we cannot take the limo," Mallory looked pointedly at Grandma Harman, who nodded.

"We'll take you to the outskirts and then we'll switch cars."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth the copper-haired witch and the girl with velvety dark hair stepped into the room and ushered everyone out again. In a neat row, flanked by more security, the Maiden, the Crone and their two guests were marched into the garage and seated inside the limo. The garage doors slid open and the limo cruised onto the streets of Las Vegas followed closely by another black limo and a sportier Aston Martin.

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_How will Siris and Mallory get back into Circle Midnight to save Blaise and her friends?_

_Reviews float my boat ^_^_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Ooops, it's been a while. I am working on the next chapter though, so it wont be too long until that's up XD._

_Disclaimer: Still not mine ;)_

_PRINCESS_

THE DRIVE

Siris peered out the window of the limousine intermittently. At first she was relieved to find the city lights trailing behind them like a garish nightmare. She was glad, then, that they would stop soon, as the motion of car travel unsettled her still. Siris glanced up again to see glimpses of a few small ramshackle buildings. She thought that they were surely at the end of their travel. As though she could sense her unease, the maiden, Aradia, grasped her hand gently.

"It's not long to go," she smiled at Siris, who smiled back.

"Maiden, I think that you're displaying signs of triviality," Grandma Harman chuckled, and then took Siris' other hand. "Not to worry dear, you'll be fine. Maggie is a great driver, you should only be worried about your return trip with Mallory," at the mention of his name Siris tensed.

"I don't trust him."

"We do," the Maiden spoke up and patted Siris on the hand. "Nothing terrible will happen to you."

Siris was resigned, there seemed to be no way to get through to the crone and the maiden without revealing what she had done in the previous week.

"I will accept your counsel," Siris bowed her head.

"And you will find that it holds true, dear one," Grandma Harman petted her hand soothingly once more and let it drop back into Siris' lap, Aradia kept hold of the other, and turned her face to smile unseeingly out the window. Siris took her turn to look out again; they were definitely on the outskirts now. There were no more signs of buildings of any sort, as the limousine sped past the unforgiving landscape.

Soon, the glare of the sun bouncing off the baked desert became too much for Siris and she looked away. She looked into the black glass that divided the driver's compartment from the main part of the limousine. In the glass she could see her own image reflected back at her and she was reminded of the last time that she crouched down by the river near her clan. Her won eyes peering at her, almost as if they were disembodied from the rest of her, floating in the river, beckoning her, with their silvery depths to come closer, to follow them beyond the territories that she knew; into a new world, with new games. Siris blinked and was back in her back of the limo, her silvery eyes were haloed by the rocky red desert once more, but she could tell now, that the limo was slowing down.

Before long Siris heard an almighty roar and she was tense – ready for action, only Aradia's hand, still calmly holding hers, prevented Siris from breaking through the closed window.

"We're just changing direction, that's all," Siris wanted to tell the girl that they had changed direction many times since they had been in the limo, but she held her tongue.

Before long, the limousine angled slightly forward and the redness of the desert vanished before the limousine evened up again.

"Hold on," Grandma Harman chuckled, "this is why I say Maggie's the best."

The limousine zigged and zagged in the darkness; with only the light inside their limousine compartment to guide her, Siris looked out the window and could see massive pillars almost brushing past the side of the car.

"Not to worry," Grandma Harman offered, "just the cave systems. Quite useful, actually."

"Shouldn't we slow down to navigate carefully?"

"And where would the fun be in that? No, Maggie only does two speeds for us; fast and faster. We'll be there soon, I promise."

Before long, the limousine slowed to a stop, after another pause she could hear two other engines die behind them.

"I think this is your stop," Grandma Harman said as the door clicked open.

"Good luck, Siris," the maiden and the crone each took Siris' hand in theirs and nodded their good will.

Siris stepped out of the car into the semi darkness. She was grateful for it; after the long stint in the overly bright desert, the darkness was a welcome relief. Maggie the driver stood next to her and smiled.

"You look like you enjoyed the ride," she said cheerfully. Siris shot the girl a look and Maggie burst out laughing as the other drivers stepped out of their vehicles, followed by a disorientated looking Mallory. Siris was glad for it; it was good to know that not everyone in this age was accustomed to moving so quickly. Maggie looped her arm through the crook of Siris' and steered her toward the end of the row of cars.

"You'll be travelling back in that one, I'm afraid," she pointed at a small sedan, which was parked behind the second limousine, still with its headlights on. "Mallory will be driving, although I thought that it should have been you, women are better drivers after all, but no experience and all. Try not to let him get you killed though," the girl paused she suddenly embraced Siris, "good luck, girl."

Mallory walked over and slid into the driver side; an attendant opened the passenger side door but before Siris could get in, the attendant ducked his head inside.

"You should've opened the door for the lady, buddy," then he made a sweeping gesture to indicate that Siris should get in. He winked at her before her shut the door and got into the other limousine.

The rear lights of the limousine came on like a flare and before long they trailed off in the distance, zigzagging in the darkness.

"You're certainly popular with the boys," Siris looked at him quizzically. Their engine roared to life and they were off, albeit at a more sane pace than the other two limos.

"How do you know which way to go?"

"Don't worry, I just do –"

"They gave you directions; that's all you had to say."

"Why don't you take a nap? We'll be there much sooner if you do, I assure you."

"I'm not tired."

"Whatever, you like."

The two of them drove on, before long Siris could see the trickle of natural light that guided them out of the caves and back into the redness of the desert. The two of them were quiet as they drove back into Las Vegas. Siris sat with her hands in her lap and watched as Mallory moved his right arm back and forth between the wheel and the gear shift. Eventually they were back in the midst of Las Vegas' gaudy lights. Mallory stopped the car and got out. He tossed the keys toward a man in a shiny red vest and went over to open the door for Siris.

"I can be a gentleman when I wish it," he mumbled. Siris got out and stood beside him. As soon as he closed the door, the car took off with the shiny vested man at the wheel. Mallory gestured her into the building that they were standing in front of. He paused when he saw her apprehensive expression.

"It's okay, they're in here, I got some intel' this morning from Thierry's people," Mallory shook his head and took the lead, walking into the glaring lights as if to indicate to Siris that there was nothing to fear. After a short pause, Siris followed him in.

"You don't need to say anything, trust me, just let me do the talking."

"I still don't trust you," Mallory shook his head and continued on inside.

They weaved their way through the glitzy casino and walked into a lift. The doors closed, opening up into a dark and richly decorated room. A young woman with lustrous black waves and painted crimson nails sat on a throne-like sofa. She waited for them to move toward her. Mallory started in her direction and Siris followed. Tow shadows detached from the wall to move behind them.

"Mallory," she purred, "I've been wondering where you've been. I heard some rather disturbing news about you running off," she raised an elegant eyebrow.

"My Lady, Scarlett, I would never," Mallory bowed low and did not meet her eyes.

"For your sake, I hope not. Who's your guest?" her eyes flickered towards Siris' direction.

"Siris Fern," he glanced at Scarlett, as though he was trying to gauge her reaction, "My, lady."

"From the Redfern clan?"

"A forerunner of the clan, My lady," Scarlett smiled, it was a beatific sight but Siris felt suddenly terrified. It reminded her of the foremother, Maya. Beautiful and ruthless, she thought.

"So, how did you meet, i wasn't sure that there were more of you around. Maya's dead, you know. I believe, that would make you the second eldest of the vampire clan. It's good to have you with us."

"I was led to believe that the vampires were already siding with the witches of Cirlce Midnight."

"Yes, that's true, but to have you with us is such a boon." The witch smiled again. The obvious intention of the smile was to make Siris relax, but she found she couldn't. Every nerve in her body was on alert, blood was streaming into her muscles and she could almost feel and unearthly wind lifting her hair away from her face. Siris willed herself to relax her muscles, and after several tense moments she could feel herself assuming the mantle of ease.

"I divined her, and so I went to look for her," Mallory offered. Scarlett looked at him, willing him to continue. "I didn't want anyone else to know, in case I was wrong, I was prepared for her awakening, I took every precaution."

"It was a long from for you to go without alerting us to your whereabouts."

"She needed my help, I wanted to surprise you," a piercing look passed from Scarlett to Mallory and for a brief moment Siris thought that they had been done in, but Scarlett nodded.

"Phillip," she addressed one of the shadows behind her, "Anaru," the other, "why don't you show our guest around?" The two of them nodded and gestured from Siris to follow. She looked back at Mallory, who beckoned her on, so, with tentative steps she followed the two men out through the back of the room and out into a corridor.

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_A/N: So, the verdict?_

_What's going to happen now that Siris and Mallory are split up? Is Scarlett truly convinced by Mallory's story about his disappearance?_


	6. Chapter 6

___Disclaimer: All characters that are recognised obviously do not belong to me, Siris Fern and Mallory Feorne are obviously my own lame creations._

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_PRINCESS_

_THE NIGHT_

_Siris felt that something was not quite right. Although, she followed the two burly witches through the 'house', she noted in her mind every detail; each turn in the corridors, each room they showed her, each closed door; nothing escaped her notice. And yet, she still could not shake her feeling of nervousness._

_"This is where you'll be staying," Anaru said gruffly, "One of us will bring you dinner shortly."_

_Siris nodded at the brusqueness, but there was nothing that she could do for now. She could only wait until Mallory came back, and despite her distrust of him she hoped that he would be able to convince Scarlett of his trustworthiness._

_She sat down on the bed and peered into the mirror on the opposite side of the room for what seemed like an eternity before she was snapped out of her reverie by a knock on her door. She moved to answer it, and with a soft 'click' she unlatched the lock and bolts and found Anaru standing outside with a lamb on a lead. He gave her an expectant look and entered the room without asking her. The lamb was tethered to the bedpost and Anaru took his leave._

_Siris looked at the lamb and it peered back at her innocently, its eyes growing nervous as her canines lengthened into fine points. She sighed and as her eyes met the lamb's she let her mind slip into its world. All manner of senses and feelings flooded her mind; confusion, fear and something akin to tiredness, but she brushed them all aside. Siris soothed the lamb stroking it with her mind whilst physically laying it on the bed into a position of repose; even as she lowered her head towards its tender neck where there was a small shaved patch for her to pierce._

_The lamb yielded to her and Siris could feel the fresh blood washing away the tension that had crept into the muscles of her body. She felt relaxed and much more clearheaded. When she had taken her fill, she released the lamb after coaxing its mind into a deep slumber. Siris took a deep breath, relishing in the air that was filling her lungs, like the blood that had filled her body. She knocked on the door to let Anaru know that she was ready for him to come in. With a soft click the door opened onto him once again._

_Once the lamb was taken away and the door shut and locked once again, Siris reclined on the bed and waited._

_After a long time, she could see the hallway lights flicker to a lower setting. Other doors which were being shut and the deep breaths of the sleeping witches were all heard by Siris. She slowed her breathing and before long she could hear her own breaths mimicking those of the other occupants on the level._

_Suddenly, Siris heard a single footstep outside her room. She started, but kept her breathing even and hoped that the outsider could not detect the difference. Siris cursed herself for not having heard the outsider before now. She could hear the gentle scrape of fingers against the paint on the other side of the door and the soft sound of a cheek pressed against it, the cartilages of the shell of the outsider's ears making a crackling sound. A brief moment passed before the person removed themselves from their position and footsteps faded into the distance. When she was sure that they would not return, Siris crept noiselessly out of her bed and toward the door, where she unlocked the security features with a soft creak._

_Siris cast a quick look behind her and started to take a backward step. She kept stepping until she could barely feel the edge of the seat behind her knees. Siris sat down and waited. She did not have to wait long; another pair of footsteps came along the corridor toward her room, but instead of stopping at the door and having a listen, they turned the doorknob. Siris was on her feet, behind the door, waiting for the intruder._

_A hand gripped the side of the door, gently pushing it open, and a head followed, Mallory's. Siris barely had a moment to sigh in relief before she heard another set of footsteps headed their way. She pulled on Mallory's hand and shut the door as quietly as she could. Ignoring the electric shock that passed from Mallory to herself, she clamped her hand over his mouth just as the footsteps rounded toward her room. Mallory stopped struggling, and Siris was suddenly glad for minor miracles. The footsteps faded into the distance once more and she released Mallory._

_"We've got to talk," he began._

_"So talk."_

_"I've found the girls, they're here – "_

_"Okay, so lets get them out of here," Mallory shook his head._

_"Not so easy, I'm afraid, they're being heavily guarded. Scarlett's not going to want to let them go without a fight."_

_"So we fight her. What's wrong – are you afraid?" Siris raised her eyebrow in a mock challenge._

_"Of course I'm afraid! This is Scarlett we're talking about. Do you even know how much muscle she's got in this place?! No?" Siris shook her head hesitantly. "I didn't think so! You don't even know what she'll do to us if she catches us! We have to make a plan. And it had better be a good one!"_

_"What about the plan we got from Circle Daybreak?"_

_"Hecate! The Daybreaker plan? Yeah, if there were one or two guards and only legal spells of detection around the place, maybe. That's the problem with the damned Daybreakers, they never actually consider the dark magic that Scarlett's using to guard this place. Why do you think they've not found it yet? There're black flowers all over the place!"_

_"You could've said something at the meeting, you know, know is a little too late! You can't change your mind about the girls!"_

_"I would never! Blaise is one of my closest friends – I wouldn't just leave her here!" He hissed._

_"We've got to come up with another plan then."_

_"And we've got to do it soon; they're being moved the night after tomorrow."_

_Siris drew her brows together in deep concentration. The new information meant that the girls would have to be rescued long before Siris had an opportunity to build any type of rapport with Scarlett. That would cause problems, especially when she would be walking around with Mallory in tow. On the upper hand though, she may be out of the casino quarters sooner than she had hoped. While it was luxurious to be sure, there was a certain coldness that chilled Siris to her very core. Something was very wrong with the place, but she had not yet figured out what. She looked back toward Mallory._

_"I'll run subterfuge and you break out the girls," he looked at her expectantly._

_"How on Earth is that better than the Daybreaker plan?"_

_"I can do some deflection spells outside their holding area, thereby redirecting people out of your way, you would have clear access to their cell," Siris nodded for him to continue. "I'll show you the other way out, then you break out the girls and make a run for it into the city. They'll never find you if you blend in a little. I'll even give you the phone; one of the girls will know how to use it if you forget. You can dial Circle Daybreak and a pretty black limo can come and get all of us."_

_Siris thought about it. It sounded brash, but under the circumstances there was no time to allow for Scarlett to personally show the girls' whereabouts to Siris. It seemed that it would have to do. She nodded her assent and she and Mallory moved toward the door again._

_As Mallory's hand touched the door handle, Siris heard a sound. She pressed him up against the wall beside the door and clamped her hand over his mouth. Mallory's eyes were wide with the fear of being discovered. They waited for a few moments and Siris eventually moved her head closer to the door to hear what was going on outside; their cheeks were pressed together, and Siris felt vaguely uncomfortable. Although she reasoned that this was better than letting him move around and make more noise._

_After a few more moments the sounds moved away and Siris let out a sigh of relief. She turned her head to look at Mallory and took her hand away from his mouth. Their noses were nearly touching. Without knowing what was coming over her Siris tipped her chin towards his. Mallory was frozen, his breath was coming in short pants and Siris thought she could taste his breath in her mouth. It tasted masculine and a little bit witchy._

_Their lips brushed softly against each other and Siris froze. Something was definitely not right; she moved abruptly away from him._

_"You can go now," she said stiffly. Mallory was still frozen to his spot against the wall. Siris gave him a hard look and he managed to peel himself off the wall and leave, mumbling a quiet 'goodnight' on his way out._

_After he left, Siris sighed. They had one day left to scout out the area and put their plan into action. It was going to be very close._

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_A/N: That was a strange chapter, still, let me know what you thought._

_Will Siris and Mallory be successful in implementing their hairbrained-halfbaked scheme? Only time will tell..._


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: insert standard intellectual property disclaimer here *wink*_

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_PRINCESS_

THE CELL

The bed was soft and warm, but Siris could not feel herself sleeping. She felt nervous; the perfect plan that they had hatched back in Thierry's mansion lay in ruins. Their new plan would split the two of them up and put them both in danger of exposure. Siris was startled out of her reverie by a knock at the door.

"Are you decent?" enquired a disembodied voice. Siris got out of the bed, she was still dressed in the clothes she wore the day before.

"Yes," Siris said as she worked on unlatching the locks. She was on the last one when the handle depressed itself and Anaru insinuated himself into the room. He was holding a leash, and the lamb on the other side was still standing in the hallway outside. Anaru beamed at her. He held out the leash for her to take and went into the hallway to coax the anxious creature into the room.

"Room service," Anaru said as he slipped outside and shut the door gently behind him.

Siris stroked the creature and peered into its frightened mind through its black eyes. She could see that it recognised her as a predator right away. She smoothed over its apprehension and kneeled down next to the creature; she was hungry after all. Once she had taken her fill, she allowed Anaru back into the room to carry the exhausted creature away. Before the door closed behind him, Anaru turned back to Siris.

"You have an audience with Scarlett this morning; someone will come and fetch you."

Siris briefly wondered if she should retort, after all she was not a dumb animal that needed to be 'fetched for' when their attention was required. She was a sentient being of supra natural tendency. But a glimpse of Anaru's smirk just as the latch found its place assured her that he did not mean it in a trite manner.

For a moment after he left, Siris thought that perhaps their plan had more of a chance of success if they could convince Anaru to help them rescue the girls. Siris kept it in her mind to tell Mallory when she met with him later in on the day.

Sriis was still standing by the door wondering what her meeting with Scarlett would be about when another knock returned her mind to the present. She opened the door. Mallory stood calmly on the other side.

"You've got a meeting with Scarlett. She wants me in attendance. Don't say anything about the Harmans," he muttered so that only she could hear. Siris glared at him. There was something she still didn't like about him at all. But she still followed him out into the corridors, and they walked side by side.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" he enquired after a little while. Siris nodded her assent. "Scarlett needs to be convinced that when the time comes, you will be willing to stand up for the witches of Circle Midnight, so you had best not say anything to dissuade her of that notion," he paused, "Are we clear?" Siris nodded again, although what she really wanted to do was throttle him.

They had been over what Scarlett would be expecting and wanting numerous times at the Circle Daybreak safe house and yet he continued to believe that she was daft enough to forget all of it for fear of one audience member. She sniffed at him.

"I'm just looking out for you."

"You're looking out for you," she emphasised the last word, "don't deny it, no one can trust you to keep their back, unless their purposes are matched with yours."

They walked on in silence until they reached Scarlett's opulent receiving room.

Scarlett was already there and she magnanimously waved them into seats close to her. Mallory was seated to her direct right and Siris was in front of her. If felt like an interrogation, no matter how Scarlett had dressed the room.

"Tell me about when you came from," she began. It was clear that formality would not be the purpose of their meeting. So Siris talked. She spoke of the division of the witches and vampires, and her inability to decide whom to fight. She told her of the challenge which she had faced, Maya on one side and Helewise on the other. Two powerful factions that were all but wiping each other out of existence, and all over nothing. She told Scarlett about the decision to split the clan and of her hesitation over her decision of where to go.

Then she started to embellish her story. She talked about the kindness of Maya and her decision to negotiate safe passage for Siris. Then she talked about her ideas about the power of the witches; surely they had to be the more powerful race if they were able to manipulate the very essence of nature itself.

She stopped when she could see the satisfaction in Scarlett's eyes.

"Will you fight for us, Siris Fern?"

"I will be there when the time comes," Siris bowed her head, hoping that her vague answer would be enough to satisfy Scarlett. She felt one of Scarlett's soft fingers tipping her chin up, so once again she was looking into her eyes.

"Look at me, there is no need to defer your eyes," the air of a smile graced her lips and Siris found that she smiled back too. "Now come, I have something to show you."

Scarlett took Siris by the hand and guided her out of the room, Mallory followed after them and several of Scarlett's attaché broke away from their positions against the wall to follow along behind them. Siris made sure to memorise every turn that they took and every feature that might later be out of place. They descended in an elevator and when they got out they started walking again, twisting and turning through the subterranean level of Scarlett's building.

They stopped at a door. Scarlett called one of the followers, who retrieved a key from his vest pocket. As he was unlocking the door, Scarlett turned to Siris and an eerie smile lingered over her features.

"You'll be excited about what I'm going to show you. It's what I do to traitors," Siris pretended to look a little bit shocked and bewildered. "I personally don't think that you will end up here, but I want you to trust me, if you discover anybody who behaves in a contrary fashion, I will do my best to put them here for you."

The door unlocked and the party entered the room, they were met with the sight of bars and the sounds of quiet breathing. As they walked past, Siris could see several occupants behind each set of bars, sleeping.

They stopped at the very last cell, Scarlett waited until Siris had taken a look inside.

"These three girls are my latest acquisition. The dark haired one is a Harman," Siris looked at her inquisitively. "A descendant of Helewise Hearthwoman. Her and her little buddies thought that they could betray me to them. We caught them while they were escaping one night, so naive," Scarlett laughed and Siris forced herself to smile.

"Why are they twitching?" the girls were breathing deeply as if in sleep, but their faces were momentarily twitching and cringing.

"Nightmares," Scarlett said matter of fact-ly. "Well, I couldn't just leave them here to sleep peacefully. What they did to me warranted a more severe punishment." Siris nodded.

They stood in front of the bars for several more moments before Scarlett turned to leave. Once again she took Siris' hand in hers and led her all the way back to the receiving room, where she let go of her hand to sit down. Before Siris and Mallory could sit, she turned to Mallory.

"Give her the upstairs tour," she said, smiling politely. Mallory nodded and indicated for Siris to follow him. "I'll see you both at dinner."

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_Will Siris and Mallory be able to get the girls out from under Scarlett's nose, or will they end up trapped in her demented nightmare realm?_

A/N: I promise, stuff starts getting more serious in the next chapter...


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Sorry about the slow update... I was hijacked by - er - real life *cough* cursed computer games!!! Hope you enjoy this installment._

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_PRINCESS_

THE ESCAPE

Siris was tense as she waited anxiously in her room. It was well past the witching hour and Mallory still had not shown up. She was starting to worry that he had been found out before he could get to her.

Earlier that day she had spoken to him about the possibility of bringing Anaru into their plan, but he had shot down her idea; 'another person was another risk of being discovered' he had exclaimed. Either way it couldn't be helped now; the plan was going ahead and it had to be tonight.

Siris was worried that they would be caught and end up specimens in the dungeon, but she was also relieved that after tonight she would be free of Scarlett's clutches. The woman was a mastermind and her ruthlessness made Siris more than a little nervous. She felt as if one word out of place would end with a stint in one of the cells. The idea of spending an indeterminate amount of time in her own nightmares did not appeal to her.

The silence in the corridor was punctuated by soft footsteps that were creeping her way. It was Mallory, to be sure, and Siris bit down on the urge to laugh at his tactlessness at creeping to her door. She waited for his slow and precise footsteps to reach her stoop then she silently unlatched the locks on her door and waited for him to depress the handle.

"What took you so long?" she hissed as soon as she was his face poke through the door which was slightly ajar.

Mallory held out a key and when Siris replied with a perplexed look, he rolled his eyes.

"To their cells, remember?" it clicked into place in Siris' mind. She shot him a shrewish look.

"How did you get them?"

"Funny how the Deep Sleep charm works - well - like a charm. I've been working on it all day, you know," Siris nodded and followed him out of the room. She closed the door gently behind her, making sure that it was unlocked. She tried the handle just in case.

Mallory was looking hat her impatiently as she tested her door a few more times. When she was done she nodded at him and they walked slowly down the corridors, retracing their steps, only they stopped abruptly before the elevator that would have taken them down to the dungeons.

"It'll be watched," Mallory hissed when Siris made to move closer to the lift. "We'll have to take the stairwell, it's not alarmed."

Mallory closed his hand around her elbow and a jolt of electricity coursed through Siris, she was barely able to restrain a loud yelp from escaping her lips; a yelp which would have awakened the entire floor. Energy roiled between them and Siris would feel the pushing and pulling sensation amidst the shock of it, strangely, she knew that Mallory could feel it too. She forced down and glared hard at him to stop.

"Sorry, electric shock; happens on carpeted floors," he paused t look at her and took in her confused and angry expression. "Never mind, it's not deadly or anything, you'll get over it. Let's go."

They continued on, this time a small distance apart, Mallory lead them to the stairs and Siris followed as closely behind as she dared. Deep sleep spell or no, she still kept her senses peaked and on alert, just in case Mallory's charm did not deliver.

They made it to the stairwell and Mallory eased open the door and signalled for Siris to go in first. He closed the door silently behind them and they descended the stairs as quickly as it was possible without making noise.

When they reached the bottom, Mallory opened the door for Siris once again asn she felt a jolt of energy pass through her as she brushed past him into the empty corridor.

"Wait here," Mallory whispered. He tiptoed to the end of the corridor and peeked around the edges. All that separated them form the girls now, was the door that led to their cells, and the enormous atrium. Mallory waved her over to him.

"When we get to the door we'll have to separate. I'll open it and give you the key to the girls' cell."

"What do I do once I get them? I can't carry them all out," Mallory thrust a vial into her hand, both ignored the irritating tingling as their fingers connected.

"Open the cell, wave it under their noses, call their names and they'll wake up," he paused. "At the back of the room there's a door that leads to a passageway. Only one route will get you out safely, Blaise should know the combination but if she forgets, it's three rights and one left. It'll take you to the warehouse district. I'll be right after you."

"What about you? Why do you have to stay up here?"

"Keep watch. As soon as I leave this building, and that means going inside the dungeon, the charm will break. They'll know where we are," Siris nodded. "It might help it you use that mind trick of yours to calm them, they might be a little disorientated at first," before she could retort, he moved quickly across the atrium and slid the key into the slot. Once the door was open he pushed the key in her hand and hurried her down the final flight of stairs.

"Be quick," then he shut the door on her.

Siris calmed her nerves as she descended the stairs. The entire room was bathed in blackness – after all, sleepers needed no light. She moved slowly to the end of the cells, to where the girls were. She looked at their pretty faces which were momentarily distorted by a nightmare induced spasm. She could not wait to get them out. That a daughter of Helewise would be treated in such a manner enraged her.

She used the key to open the cell door and stepped into the cell. Crouching next to Blaise, she uncorked the vial. Even in a slumber, Blaise was iridescent with a strange light. Siris could feel her energy radiating out of her body in rippling waves. She gently laid a hand on the girl's temple and softly touched her mind, calming her out of her nightmare and reassuring her that they were about to be rescued.

She waved the uncorked vial under her nose.

"Blaise, it's time to wake up," Blaise's eyes snapped open and for a moment abject fear blazed to the surface, the girl sat straight up, pushing Siris off her balance.

"Where are we?!"

"Scarlett's dungeon, but we're about to get out, just help me with the other girls," Blaise looked at Siris quizzically for a moment before she smiled and nodded.

"Thanks," she said as she kneeled by Cynthia, Siris repeated the process with the other two girls but seeing Blaise's familiar face meant that they were not momentarily overcome by fear, as Blaise was.

Once the girls had shaken on the languor that came with having had slept for a week, they moved towards the back door, she waved them into the tunnel.

"Do you remember the code?"

"Every witch does," Blaise smiled as she led the way. Siris turned to go back, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to let Mallory – "

"The snake! Blaise and the girls hissed together.

"How do you think we got here? He told them that we were gone. Last time we just made it to the end before they caught us. We trusted him and he betrayed us."

"I knew I couldn't trust him, but I couldn't catch him in the act."

"I'm surprised," Blaise's eyes narrowed slightly, "If you let him know we're going we won't be able to escape, we'll be trapped again."

"Let's go," Siris said with an air of finality. The girls started running into the dark corridors. When Blaise took the first left Siris didn't pause. She was enraged by the fact that she had been fooled by Mallory. She had known form the beginning that he could not be trusted and yet she had not acted on it and killed him the moment that she had the opportunity. She cursed herself.

Fallow Dai was running and giggling the whole time, whispering 'three lefts make a right'.

"Siris!" a loud yell punctuated the darkness - Mallory's. Blaise hissed and the other girls blanched. Mallory was very close.

"Run!" Blaise and Siris whispered furiously and the four girls did. Blaise trailed her left hand on the wall, feeling for the openings of each new corridor. After every third corridor she trailed her right arm. The other three girls were holding onto each other's shirt tails and they ran like that through the darkness, which was sporadically punctuated by Mallory's calls.

* * *

_Tune in to the next chapter to find out whether the girls get away..._

_A/N: like, love, loathe? Reviews float my boat ;)_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Hi everyone, hope you're having a brilliant start to the new year :) _

_As usual, all recogisable characters are not mine, only Siris and Mallory are my own lame creations._

_ENJOY!!_

* * *

_PRINCESS_

THE REVEAL

"Run!" Blaise and Siris' voices rang through the darkness. Harsh breathing and frantic footsteps followed the girls through the rest of the tunnels and turns. Eventually Siris could smell a cool breeze; they were close to their goal. Mallory's footsteps were slowing, she was sure. Fallow let out a soft giggle.

"We made it," she whispered softly as they paused at the entrance of the tunnel. A short sprint would take them into the relative safely of the warehouse district, and another tunnel would lead them away from Scarlett's nightmarish compound.

Fallow and Cynthia made to run into the darkness and were immediately pulled back sharply by Siris and Blaise, who clamped their hands over the other girls' mouths.

"Look," hissed Siris. "There are guards; if Mallory was involved do you think they would just let us leave so easily?" Siris' eyes drilled into Fallow's and the giddy girl nodded nervously, her giddy energy suddenly failing her. A glaze of tears came over her eyes and Siris shook her head apologetically. "Look, I didn't mean to hurt you," Fallow continued nodding, "we'll get out of this, we will, okay. Just trust me," Siris waited to make sure that the information had sunk in. Once Fallow's face started to reenergise somewhat Siris released her.

"What's the plan? We could split up, that way they'll have to split up, they can't chase us all," Blaise looked sharply at Siris. Siris imagined that Blaise was one of those types that when once they had made their decision stuck firmly to it and didn't like to take on other advice. 'Too bad,' Siris thought to herself, she was one of those people too.

"I have a better idea," she whispered furiously, Siris' eyes darted behind them, Mallory's footfalls were still getting closer, she had to make the decision. "I run, they chase me; when their backs are turned you run."

Blaise shook her head furiously but to no avail. As soon as the words had left Siris mouth she burst out of their secretive alcove. One of the guards spotted her.

"There they are!" He yelled. Siris had looked into his eyes from across the distance to make him think that all four of them were making a break for it. She ran slowly at first, trying to attract the attention of the other guards that had been posted, and one by one, she implanted into them her own version of reality, but then they surprised her.

Five guards chased after Siris and her 'girls' and they were picking up speed. Far behind her she could hear that Blaise, Fallow and Cynthia had reached the relative safety of the warehouses. Siris drew the guards back to give the girls a chance to get to the second tunnel, when she was sure that they were well on their way she made her attempt to run. Her decoys separated from her and lagged some way behind.

"Ignore the others! Get the vampire!" Siris almost did a double take. She kept running, back towards the safety of the warehouses this time. She was almost free, free of Scarlett's maliciousness and most importantly free of Mallory. With one burst of strength, which came straight out of that final thought she burst into the first row of warehouses – only she didn't make it must farther. A strong arm winded her and pinned her arms by her side. Siris lashed out as much as she could, baring her teeth and trying to get better purchase, but to no avail. The arms were too powerful for her and after a moment she no longer felt the need to struggle. Even as the five guards approached her and her captor Siris could not muster up the essential rage to fight them.

"Five of you and one of her, this is a disappointment – "

"You snake!" Siris hissed.

"Feisty little one," the other guards moved close to her and two sets of vice-like grips held her firmly in position. "You didn't even manage to bring back the other girls," Mallory eyed the guards, and then nodded. "But you did get the prize, with my help," Mallory walked an excited lap around the small party and finally turned to Siris.

"You shouldn't have trusted me, you know," he smirked.

"I never did! I should have killed you when I had the chance!"

"Now, calm down, is that any way to speak to the victor?" He eyed her menacingly and reached out a palm to stroke her cheek. He darted back when a bolt of electricity soared through him. "You're going straight to Scarlett. She has need of you."

Mallory turned on his heel and the guards followed, pulling Siris along with them. This time she had the sense to fight. She struggled between the guards and wrested free of one of them. The other guard she used to toss at his colleagues. For the second time that night, Siris made her escape. She ran as fast as she could, never once looking back. She darted in and out of the warehouses in the pattern that Circle Daybreak had taught her and dived into the tunnel that would lead her out of the area.

Suddenly her arm was pulled back. Without her approval, Siris felt herself being spun around and pinned against the wall of the tunnel. A slight tingling ran up her arm from the contact but she was too busy looking into Mallory's eyes, which were full of intense hatred.

"I don't like it when you run," he ground out. His eyes bored into hers as if willing her to stop fighting, he was so close that the tips of their noses were touching. Siris could smell the intermingling of their sweat even as she tried to wriggle free from him. He only held her tighter and moved closer to her, finally pinning her prone form against the wall, Siris barely suppressed a whimper. She was completely at his mercy, she didn't even have the energy left to bite him.

"I've got you, there's no point struggling," he huffed. Siris continued to squirm and Mallory smirked. "Are you feeling out of sorts, Siris?" Mallory used her shock to wedge his knee between hers. "Want to destroy me, but feeling too worn out? Too tired to feed from me even?" Mallory continued to smirk as he moved in closer to stop her from trying to free herself. "You should have checked your food, Siris."

With those words, Siris mustered up the remainder of her energy and shot into Mallory's mind, even though it threw him momentarily off balance she could not use it to her advantage. Siris was too tired, that, and she just wanted to know the truth. She sifted through Mallory's recollections, ignoring the ones where he bowed and kneeled diligently and adoringly before Scarlett. She ignored his recollection of the night in her room and finally she found the memory she was looking for, the truth.

In it Mallory injected the lamb with a syringe and instructed two younger witches to rub the creature down and perfume it. Siris' eyes stung with tears.

"You betrayed me," she whispered.

Mallory looked slightly taken aback. "I thought you had it all figured out," Siris felt a tear roll off her lashes and no matter how hard she fought them a few more followed the first. Mallory let one of her arms go, and he brushed the tears off with his fingers. The sparking electricity that shot through them before transformed into a soft fuzz. Mallory's fingers were tracing the paths that her tears had taken and their breaths intermingled sweetly, bringing their lips closer together before a loud crashing could be heard. In an instant the two of them were back into their former roles. The five guards took charge of Siris once more and they escorted her back towards Scarlett's compound.

* * *

_What are Scarlett's plans for Siris, will Mallory have a change of heart? Will the other girls come back for Siris? Only the next chapter will reveal all (well, some of all)._

_A/N: Well, what did you all think? Review s float my boat :)_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: So so sorry about the long wait. Hope this is enjoyable, a brief warning though, it's quite heavy on dialogue. I had to get the exposition out somehow... right? Oh, also Happy Valentines Day and Chinese New year to those who are celebrating._

* * *

_PRINCESS_

THE DEAD

The walk back to Scarlett's compound was draining. The guards followed in behind Mallory and did not take their eyes off Siris. She felt disheartened as they took the twists and turns and elevators through the now familiar corridors of Scarlett's casino complex. They had entered through the service entrance, but even as they moved through the more populated areas no one took notice of them, much less try to help Siris break free once more.

Once they reached Scarlett's room, Siris was tired. The hatred that she felt towards Mallory was palpable, sudden intense fear came upon her person and she could barely stop herself from physically trembling. But most of all, her anger drained her. She felt a burning anger at herself for not being able to muster the power to get away and for trusting Mallory when all her senses had declared the contrary. Scarlett's hollow tinkling laughter shook her out of her reverie.

"Only one, Mallory, you're slipping."

"I did get the prize though, didn't I?" Mallory bowed quickly and moved to his place beside Scarlett as the guards set Siris down on one of the uncomfortable sofas in front of Scarlett.

"All out of steam, I see," she said with a humorous glint in her eyes. Siris looked at her, defiance was burning in her eyes, but Scarlett just smiled and shook her head once more. "You shouldn't try to run; it's not a courteous thing to do."

"I felt that my welcome had been worn out," Scarlett laughed again.

"I will let you know when that time comes, but while I still have uses for you, you're welcome will never be worn out –"

"I know what you all did, I saw it in him."

"Did you, now?" her gaze shifted to Mallory. "I thought she wouldn't be able to do that yet."

"She was stronger than we had anticipated."

"Hm, well I guess vampires just aren't made of strong enough stuff nowadays, not like you old stock," Siris' brow creased in confusion and Scarlett continued. "Too much of the drug and they die, too little and the effect, well, the effect is less than desired," a cold smile crossed her features as understanding dawned on Siris.

"But why?" it came out as a barely restrained hiss. "Do you collect us for sport, do you hunt us like vermin, like game, what is wrong with you people?" the fight had come back into Siris all of a sudden, but she knew she would still be unable to take all of the extra guards in the room. Scarlett ignored her comment.

"I heard that she nearly got away, Mallory. Now, that would definitely have been unacceptable," Mallory nodded.

"I had anticipated that, I caught her on her way through the warehouse block."

"Hm, it seems as though we should get rid of those warehouses, they seem to be quite inconvenient for us," Scarlett looked pensive, "did you enjoy the chase?"

"Very much so –"

"You haven't answered my question," Siris' voice had dropped an octave and became as frosty as Scarlett's was frivolous at that moment. Scarlett looked at her; there was a spark of surprise in her eyes.

"Not sport, little girl, witches, as you know, never do things without purpose. Oh, and your purpose, well, it's very important to me."

Scarlett and Siris eyed each other, a chill had overcome the room and the guards and even Mallory to an extent were starting to look nervous. Scarlett's eyes glazed over, and it appeared that Siris had won control over the situation. As Scarlett started to talk her eyes became misty, it was a reminiscence that was burnt into her very being.

"I was in love once," her focus cleared somewhat and she looked at Siris, who was taken aback by the statement. "Soulmates, I'm sure you've heard of the concept. It's happening to a lot of people around now, old powers awakening and that junk," she sighed. Despite herself, Siris felt herself leaning ever-so-slightly closer to Scarlett to hear her tale.

"What happened?"

"He died. You can thank your Daybreaker buddies for that," she snarled.

"What do you want with me then? I can't help you bring him back – " a malicious glint flickered in Scarlett's eyes.

"Oh, but you can. Royal blood, you see," Scarlett looked down at her fingernails. "Royal blood has so many uses. Enriching the lives of the living, resurrecting the dead. And can you tell me, who in this room has Royal blood coursing through their forsaken veins?" Scarlett had reached fever pitch, she was leaning forward in her divan and her brow was creased.

"But – " Siris wanted to point out that the Rituals of the Dead had been banished for a reason, but Scarlett didn't even listen to her interjection.

"Do you know how deep the bond of a Soulmate extends? Beyond distance, beyond life, and certainly beyond death. My Ceiran has taught me some things that were once lost. So now, little girl, about the Rituals of the Dead, I know more than you could ever imagine."

"Do you even know why they destroyed the knowledge?" Siris was scared, but more than that she was angry. The one thing that Maya and Helewise had agreed upon in order to protect their lines was now going to be the means of her demise.

"They were weak; they had no desire for it; that is all. Take her away now," Scarlett stood and turned to leave. The guards took hold of Siris and turned her to go.

"It was soul corrupting, it was vengeful, it stood against every tenet of our beings! If you loved your Soulmate you would let him lie peaceful with the earth. The lives that you sacrifice will produce him as a wraith, not alive, not dead. He will never forgive you!" Siris screamed it out even as the guards dragged her away. Scarlett froze and turned toward her, Siris stopped struggling, the guards just held her still.

"Did you know that there is a way to get Ceiran a body?" Scarlett took in Siris' expression. "No then, well, I've already got a volunteer, Ceiran will be better than a wraith, better even than a witch," Scarlett gave another of her cold smiles and turned to leave, giving one last glance over to Mallory. Siris followed her look and gasped.

Something inside of her was torn asunder but she could not place the feeling. Her chest constricted painfully, she felt the world fall away beneath her in the most horrifying way and all the while her mind was a chaotic combination of screaming, desperate helplessness and untempered madness.

The resounding question was 'why'.

When Scarlett instructed the guards to take her away, she hardly registered them tugging on her arms, pulling her out of the room, or walking her through the corridors. She sat at the end of her bed, goat untouched, for several hours before she even realised where she was.

* * *

_Is this the end of Siris' hopes for a better future?_

_A/N: Like it, Loathe it? Review it :)_


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: so so sorry for the long delay in updating. I promise that the next one should be up soon :D  
Also, thanks for the kind reviews :D_

* * *

_PRINCESS_

THE MOON

A soft knock on the door drew Siris out of her reverie. For a fleeting moment she wondered if it were Mallory, come to redeem himself; to set into motion their real escape plot. The knock came again. Her hopes were dashed; Mallory didn't need her acknowledgement to enter the room. She stood slowly and approached the door; on the third gentle knock she opened it slightly.

Siris stood back in surprise. "What do you want?" she hissed. The person on the other side shushed her and slowly crept into the room. The door clicked closed behind him and he held out his arm in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not finished with dinner. In fact, I don't want it!"

"Please listen to me, Siris," he started. "I mean you no harm, I just need to talk to you," he paused to gauge her reaction. Siris narrowed her eyes and scrutinised him.

"What do you have to say to me, Anaru?" He let out a sigh of relief.

"I know what Scarlett is planning," he whispered. Siris gave him a look which clearly meant for him to continue. "This 'Ceiran' business, I know all about it."

"So do I," Siris said easily. She could feel his turmoil, but his slow explanation was bothering her. He shook his head at her and she stopped whatever she was about to say next to listen to him once more.

"She thinks I'm loyal, I know the entire ritual," Siris' ears pricked up, she could feel a curiosity building inside of her. "She will need more sacrifices than just Mallory, when the time comes."

"Is she going to use humans? That's one of the reasons they outlawed the ritual, you know." Anaru shook his head.

"She wants Ceiran to be the most powerful witch ever to walk on this earth. They're using witch sacrifices." Siris was shocked.

"But, what, no, who is going to let her – how is she going to do it? It's unstable, it's unheard of."

"She has already chosen four sacrifices and she knows that we will add to Ceiran's power."

"Then run."

"Do you think it's that easy?" he sneered. "You were the most powerful person here and you couldn't get away. We can't run. I can't run. She will kill the others. She already holds them in the palm of her hand." Siris looked at him inquisitively. Anaru's face had darkened over and there was a slight sheen to his eyes that Siris did not want to explore further.

"Where are they?"

"She's holding them in a cell somewhere, I can feel them." Siris focused more adamantly on his face.

"What do you mean, 'you can feel them'? Are the four of you psychics?" Anaru's lips quirked slightly upward.

"Siris, if the four of us were psychics, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you."

"Then how do you know they're still here?"

"We have a very close link," he peered at her meaningfully, but Siris could not fathom what he meant. "Soulmates,' he finally said. Siris blinked.

"But two pairs of powerful witch souls could be catastrophic –" Siris halted in the middle of her train of thought. "How did she find two pairs in circle midnight?"

"My sister, Celia, found Antony first. She was talking to me about leaving Midnight. I was upset with her, I told Scarlett – I didn't know what to do. Scarlett told me that they just needed time to adjust; she'd send them away for a little while. I believed her; I thought that they would be fine. In the first few weeks Celia even sent me letters – well, at first I believed that they were from her."

Siris took Anaru's hand and willed him to look at her. He had a faraway look in his eyes that worried her. Gently, she prodded his mind with hers, and he focussed again on their surroundings.

"My Morgan," he began slowly, "she overwhelmed me. I knew she didn't belong in Midnight the moment I laid eyes on her, but she wouldn't leave – and believe me, I tried to make her go. But at the end of it, she knew more than me, even Scarlett knew more than I did about our situation."

"What happened?"

"She just disappeared one night; I felt so empty. Scarlett confronted me; she said it was for the best. She played me so well. But something even Scarlett had not anticipated happened; our link grew stronger. I've known for a while now that they're all still here; I just can't find them," Anaru looked purposefully at Siris. "You see why I need your help?"

"You're in trouble, suddenly, Scarlett's plans affect your life directly and you no longer want to be involved," it came out bitterly. Anaru's eyes widened a fraction in disbelief, but he managed to rally himself for a retort.

"Not all of us can follow her blindly into oblivion, or whatever she has planned for Midnight. Not all the witches here are evil, no matter what you think!" Anaru hissed the words and turned briskly to leave; Siris stilled him with a hand on his elbow.

"I'll help you, but I don't know how, I can't exactly leave, you know."

Anaru produced a needle from his pocket, Siris looked at him sceptically. He moved toward the sleeping goat and gently blew some warm air over the soft patch of shaved skin. The goat stirred but did not wake. He carefully inserted the needle and injected its contents into the dozing creature.

"Wait a short while for it to cycle through the system and break down the other drug and then it should be fine to drink from it. I'll be back in a few minutes." Siris nodded as Anaru left her alone in her room.

She stood there, in the centre of her room, waiting a short length of time. Outside, she could hear Anaru's soft footfalls falling further away from her door. A little further off she could hear less benign footsteps heading her way. Siris eyed the goat quickly and hoped that whatever Anaru had fixed it with had done its trick. Siris moved quickly over to the docile creature and inhaled its scent once before she let her elongated teeth pierce its fine skin.

As she finished up, there was a brisk knock on the door. Siris shot on to the bed as quickly and silently as she could and pretended to be awakening just as the door opened. It was Anaru again, but behind him stood Scarlett and three unfriendly looking witches. Anaru entered and untethered the goat from the end of her bed, leading the unsteady creature outside as the other four entered.

"I see you've had some rest, my dear," Scarlett simpered. "That's very good, you'll be needing your strength tonight, especially for what we've got planned."

The three guards approached her and Siris gave into their demands. She stood without a struggle and followed them out of the room into the hall. Scarlett walked casually alongside her.

"Have you seen the moon out tonight?" Siris glared at her and Scarlett giggled girlishly. "Of course not, there aren't any windows in your room – how silly of me. But you didn't miss anything; there's nothing to see tonight. No bothersome goddess of the moon making distinctions between the living and the dead. Nope, none at all, the perfect night to be communicating with the dead, if I do say so myself." She smiled again at Siris, who said nothing to her as they continued walking through the building.

When they reached their destination, Siris didn't need the guard to open the door to know what lied beyond it. She could smell the effluvia of the blood creeping through every gap in the door. Never in her life had she smelt blood and felt as repulsed as she did that very moment.

* * *

_What will happen when Mallory and Siris meet the next time?_

_A/N: Argh, this chapter was weird, hopefully the next chapter will get back into the proper flow of the story. As usual, all reviews are appreciated :D_


	12. Chapter 12

_PRINCESS_

12.

THE BLOOD

The smell of copper, blood and fear filled Siris' nostrils and she fought against the impulse to lengthen her canines, despite her repulsion. Scarlett moved to the centre of the room, where a figure, Mallory, kneeled, marked with blood.

Scarlett stood in the centre, her hands and face upturned as she was anointed with blood by two witches. Once they were done they moved back to their places against the wall, ready to be called upon for further tasks. Siris made another feeble attempt to struggle and Scarlett cast a menacing look in her direction, the soft candlelight casting incongruously sharp shadows over her facial features.

"Bring her to me." Siris was pulled forward and forced to her knees. She knelt facing Mallory and Scarlett was between them. She could see his eyes rolling into the back of his head. Scarlett knelt between them and pushed their heads together. "Now or never," she grinned.

Siris ignored the buzzing in her mind and focussed on the silver dagger that Scarlett had produced from the folds of her dress. She forced Siris' arms to lay on Mallory's shoulders and even in his trancelike state, he hurried to obey her command and held tightly to her forearms. She was so close to him that she could feel his breath upon her lips. It disgusted her. In two sharp motions Scarlett had sliced her forearms from elbow to wrist. Siris found that she had no power to fight, she couldn't even get up, the buzzing in her mind had become overpowering. Blood welled up in the wounds and spilled over her pale arms. Scarlett was grinning with manic glee as she collected the droplets in a crystal glass.

Siris was sure that the witch was talking or repeating incantations, but she could no longer hear the words or the sounds. All she could smell was Mallory amidst her own blood. Her own fear was about to paralyse her and she could feel the animal fear rising from the depths, threatening to overcome her senses. She screwed her eyes shut and she could feel Mallory's grip loosen slightly. Finally, an opportunity, but it wasn't long lived.

Siris opened her eyes and stared into Mallory's, which had become eerily focused on her face. She didn't have time to think about the significance of it before Scarlett's blade came in and out of view once more. Siris gasped as she felt the silver blade trace the base of her throat. It was a shallow cut, and it would heal in time but in her panic she couldn't stop her canines from extending and she couldn't pull back the liquid silver pooling in her eyes, making her change complete.

Scarlett leant forward and brushed the outer shell of her ear with her breath.

"Bite him." Siris only just registered the fear in Mallory's eyes before her teeth sank into his neck. She regretted it almost immediately. His warm, witchy blood trickled down her throat with brilliant purpose but her mind was overcome with sensations of awe and fear. Images rushed past her that she could not comprehend.

"Stop!" Mallory. The world froze. The images and the sound ground to a halt. Only the buzzing and the warmth remained.

"Why am I even here? This has never happened before."

"I don't care why you're here. Just leave."

"Why are you doing this? She doesn't want you. You realise that, don't you?"

"You don't understand! She's invoking the soulmate principle. We will be together." Siris was taken aback. Her chest constricted painfully at the idea, but she didn't allow it to stop her enquiry.

"You idiot! She's calling her soulmate, not the bond! You're giving up your life for him. Don't you realise that you'll no longer exist once she's done?" She wanted to go on. To yell at him about how he had ruined their one chance of escape but before she could do so her chest clenched tightly again. This time because she couldn't breathe. But instead of making the link between her and Mallory weaken; it seemed to strengthen until she could feel him inside her mind. This time he was the one being bombarded with images from her childhood.

She knew it would horrify him. The bright red flashes of bloodied fangs, her family's trademark flame red hair. She felt regretful, sick even. She didn't want him to be terrified of her, no now. Afraid – yes, but not terrified.

She willed him out of her mind and felt her success with trepidation. She was hyperaware of the fact that her teeth were no longer long and they were no longer sunk into the flesh at Mallory's neck. Her wounds had closed, despite the blood crusting over the surface, and Scarlett had stopped chanting. The only problem was that Mallory was still in her mind. She could feel him there like an unwanted weight.

But, by far the most disturbing sensation that she felt was his lips pressed to hers. She recoiled and with her last bit of strength forced him from her mind and moved her lips away from his. Before the touch of his mind had completely left hers she could sense one last slip of information pass from his mind to hers.

"Soulmate."

* * *

A/N: sorry, I know, it's been a while. xx


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